I just got back from the funeral visitation for my 92-year old aunt; up until about a month ago she was still pretty much perking along. She was a great example on many levels for us; her lifestyle, in particular, was inspirational.
In this day and age of climbing in to a car to get from any point A to point B, she did something rather unique--she walked. She walked up the street to church, she walked to the post office, to work for many years, to visit friends and relatives around town.
She had diabetes--when she got the wake-up call, she heeded it. She didn't take medications so she could indulge in desserts or any other sugar-laden foods or drinks. She accepted the fact that sugar wasn't her body's friend, and she simply stopped ingesting it.
She attended church regularly--she kept her soul and spirit in check. She taught Sunday school for over 60 years; she was a fixture of the church from the time she was a child until she moved to the Masonic Home a little over two years ago.
When she realized it was time to move to assisted living in Franklin to be nearer to her daughter and granddaughter, she went in a good spirit; I always believed that her faith led her to accept the change in her life after 90 years with patience and a sense of calm.
And, she kept walking and kept visiting and kept going to church and kept eating healthy...it was her legacy to us.
It's one I'm going to heed.
Thanks, Aunt Effie, for a rich lifetime of good examples. I'll miss sending weekly notes to you, but I'll forever smile when I think of you.
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